Enclosed switch



April 30,1940. H. .1. HAMMERLY 2.198.593

ENCLOSED SWITCH Filed Sept. 30, 1938 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR jfelvna/rz/lffammerfy A ORNEY April 30, 1940. J HAMMERLY 2,198,593

ENCLOSED SWITCH Filed Sept. 30, 1938 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR Patented Apr. 30, 1940 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE ENCLOSED SWITCH Connecticut Application September 30, 1938, Serial No. 232,488

11 Claims.

My invention relates to what are usually called entrance switches. In these switches, current is brought into a switch box from the main line and branch wires are led out to the points of current consumption. It is quite desirable that the line and load wires be led as directly as possible to and from the terminals of the switch and without crossing or close contact of the wires. With the usual construction this is not always possible because it is seldom known in advance whether the line wires must be led in at the top or bottom or whether the load wires will pass out at the bottom or the top.

My main object therefore is to devise a construction in which the main wires can be brought straight into the switch box from either the top or bottom and from which the branch or load wires may be led straight out from the same or the opposite side by the simple expedient of reversing the support for the load terminals and the fuses when desired.

Fig. 1 is a front view of an entrance switch embodying one form of my invention, part of the cover being broken away and one fuse omitted.

Fig. 2 is a sectional view on the general plane of line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the carrier for the load terminals and fuses.

Fig. 4 is a sectional view on the general plane of line 4-4 of Fig. 2.

The box I has a suitable cover 8 and is provided with a suitable number of knockouts, such as 8, to, II and I2, in the bottom and sides wherever it is thought most convenient for the cable or conduit connections.

The switch parts are carried by insulating means such for instance as the blocks I4 and H supported in any suitable manner, for instance by brackets it. Each of the two main circuits includes a pair of stationary switch contacts l6, l6 secured to its support by means of screws, such as ll, l8 and I8. The screws l8 and I8 may be extended beyond the surfaces of the contacts for a purpose to be later described. One

The switch actuator may consist of a crank shaft 22 pivotally supported in the box and having an external handle 23 and connected to the slides by the arm 24.

When the switch is intended for a three wire system, the neutral connection is eflected through the connector 25 having wire terminals or binding clamps 26 and 21 at opposite ends and mounted between the'switch units. The terminal 26 is intended for connection of a line wire and terminal 21 for the load connection.

The other load terminals 28 and 28' as well as terminals 28 and 21 are carried by an insulating carrier or base 30 mounted between the switch units and supported by the connector posts I8, I 8'. The neutral strap or bar 25 is secured to the carrier by screws 3i.

In such switches, circuit protective devices are commonly employed such as fuses 32. These may be mounted in clips 33 and 34 on straps 35 and 38 secured by screws 31 and 38, respectively. Terminal 28 is mounted on strap 36. Strap 35 has one end depressed and provided with an opening for screw post l8 on which it is mounted and secured by binding nut 39. When nuts 38 are removed, the entire carrier plate 30 and its attached parts may be removed and reversed so as to bring the terminals 28, 28' at the top instead of at the bottom.

The electrical connecting and mechanical connecting are both accomplished through the straps 35, and the openings in these straps for the screw posts are substantially centrally located in the carrier or base 30. By this means a reversal of this base does not change the overall dimensions of the complete assembly.

The circuit can be readily traced from line terminal [9 to switch contact l8, thence through the movable switch member 28 to contact l6, to supporting post I8, strap 35, fuse clip 33, fuse 32, fuse clip 34 and strap 38 to load terminal 28. The circuit may be similarly traced from line terminal It to load terminal 28'.

In the arrangement shown, the line wires would be brought into the box from the top or upper part and connected to terminals l3, l9 and 28 while the load wires would be attached to the terminals 28, 28' and 21 and carried out from the lower part without crossing. Obviously the line wires could also be brought into the box from the lower part through proper inlets.

If it is necessary to carry the load wires out from the upper part of the box, it is merely necessary to remove the clamp nuts 38 and reverse the carrier 30 so as to bring the load terminals 28, 28' and 21 to the upper part of the box.

Additional protectionagainst short circuiting or arcing may be provided by an insulating member 40 having wings at each side of the neutral bar 25. This is preferably formed of insulating fibre and may be clamped between the'bar ll and the carrier 30.

Insulating plates it may be provided alongside of the carrier between the fuses and the switch units respectively. These plates may be formed integrally with the base 30 or as separate members as shown.

In describing the box and terminals, I have used the terms top" and bottom" for convenience but it is obvious that the invention is not limited to such an arrangement since the box might be mounted on its side with the load terminals and fuses extending horizontally instead of vertically.

As shown, the designation "Line" is marked permanently on the switch base adjacent each of the terminals l8 and IS. The auxiliary base is also marked with the word Load" at the end next to the terminals 28 and 28'. Thus the 26 proper indication of each of' the terminals is assured, no matter what arrangement of the parts is made.

I claim:

1. An electric switch construction including two :0 switch supporting bases, each base having circuit making and breaking devices, each base having a line terminal at one side and a fuse connection post at its opposite side, the line terminals being accessible for main line wiring from either above or below the supporting bases, and a circuit indicating reversible fuse carrier having pairs of fuse clips, a load terminal connected to one fuse clip of each pair and a switch connection connected to the other fuse clip of each pair 40 and detachably connected to a fuse connection post, all of the load terminals being arranged at one end of the fuse carrier and selectively reversible with the carrier so as to be positioned for correct load circuit connection from either below or above the supporting bases.

2. A three wire electric switch including two circuit making and breaking devices, each having a switch unit including a line terminal at one side and a fuse connection at the opposite side, the

line terminals being directly accessible for main cessible for direct load circuit wiring from either below or above the circuit making devices and a neutral connector carried by the fuse carrier and having line and load terminals reversible with the fuse carrier and the other load terminals, all of said load terminals being positioned at the same end of said fuse carrier and suitable indicia being located adjacent one set of terminals. I

3. An electric switch including two insulating supports, each having a circuit making and breaking device with a line terminal at one side and a fuse connector at the opposite side, the line terminals being accessible for direct main line connection either from above or below the i supports and a reversible fuse carrier having pairs of fuse clips, a load terminal connected to one fuse clip of each pair and a switch connection connected to the other fuse clip of each pair and detachably connected to a fuse connector on one of the insulating supports, the load terminals being arranged at one end of the fuse carrier and selectively reversible with the carrier so as to be accessible for direct load circuit wiring from either below or above the supports.

4. An electric switch including two insulating supports, each having a circuit making and breaking device with a line terminal at one side and a fuse connecting means at the opposite side, the line terminals being accessible for direct main line wiring either above or below the supports, and a reversible fuse carrier supported between said supports and having pairs of fuse clips, a load terminal connected to one fuse clip of each pair and a switch connection connected to the other fuse clip of each pair and detachably connected to a fuse connecting means, the load terminals being arranged at one end of the fuse carrier and selectively reversible with the carrier so as to be accessible for direct load circuit wiring from below or above the supports as desired, a neutral connector carried by the fuse carrier between the supports and having line and load terminals reversible with the fuse carrier, all of said load terminals being positioned at the same edge of said fuse carrier and wiring indicia in close proximity to said load terminals.

5. A three wire electric switch having line terminals accessible for connection at either of two opposite sides of the switch, a fuse carrier having three load circuit terminals at one side of the carrier, means for supporting said carrier in either of two positions so as to make it possible to reverse the fuse carrier and make its terminals directly accessible from either of two opposite sides, and indicia pertinent to said fuse carrier to indicate the correct wiring of said switch.

6. An entrance switch including a box, two insulating blocks fixed in the box and spaced from each other, a pair of spaced stationary contacts and a removable contact therebetween on each block, a terminal post on the remote ends of the stationary contacts, one of the terminal posts of each pair of contacts being accessible from either end of the box for direct connection to a supply line, a reversible insulating carrier detachably mounted on the other terminal posts of said stationary contacts and positioned between said blocks, a conducting strap secured to either side of said carrier and removably connected to one of the terminal posts of the stationary contacts and a load terminal connected to each strap, and a neutral connector carried by the said carrier between the blocks and having line and load terminals reversible with the carrier, all of said load terminals being mounted at the same edge of said carrier and indicia pertinent to said carrier to insure the correct wiring of said switch.

7. An entrance switch including a box, two insulating switch supports fixed in the box and .spaced from each other, each support having mounted thereon a circuit making and breaking device with a line terminal at one side and a binding post at the opposite side, the line terminalsbeing accessible for direct main line wiring either above or below the supports, and a reversible load terminal carrier supported between said supports, conducting straps secured to each side of said carrier, a. load terminal connected to one end of each strap and a switch connection detachably connected to the other end of each strap, a neutral connector carried by the carrier and having line and load terminals reversible with the load carrier, all of the load terminals being arranged at one end of the carrier and being reversible with the carrier so as to be accessible for direct load circuit wiring from either below or above the supports as desired and suitable marking on said carrier to distinguish the load terminals from all other terminals on said switch.

8. An electric switch including supporting means and having circuit making and breaking devices, each with a line terminal at one side and a fuse connection post at the opposite side, the line terminals being accessible for main line wiring either from above or below the Supporting means, and a reversible fuse carrier having pairs of fuse clips, a load terminal connected to one fuse clip of each pair and a switch connection connected to the other fuse clip of each pair and detachably connected to a fuse connection post, the load terminals being arranged at one end of the fuse carrier and reversible with the carrier so as to be accessible for load circuit wiring from below or above the supporting means.

9. An electric switch including supporting means and having circuit making and breaking devices, a line terminal at one side and a fuse connection post at the opposite side of each of said devices, the line terminals being accessible for direct main line wiring at either of its two opposite edges, and a reversible fuse carrier having pairs of fuse clips, a load terminal connected to one fuse clip of each pair and a switch connection connected to the other fuse clip of each pair and detachably connected to a fuse connection post, the load terminals being arranged adjacent one edge of the fuse carrier and reversible with the carrier so as to be accessible for direct load circuit wiring from either of two opposite edges of the supporting means.

10. An electric switch having line terminals and fuse connection posts with switching means between the respective terminals and posts, a fuse carrier having fuse clips with load terminals at one end and strap connections with passages for the posts substantially midway of the ends of the carrier between the clips and means for reversibly securing the strap connections to said posts.

11. In an enclosed switch, a switch base having two switch units, each having a main line terminal at one side of the base accessible without obstruction from the upper and lower parts of the enclosing receptacle, and each switch unit having a fuse connection on the base between the unit and the fuse connection of the other unit, a fuse carrying block removably and reversibly mounted in front of the switch base and having fuse clips near its upper and lower ends and a central strap, each of the fuse clips near one end of the block having a detachable connection with one of the fuse connections on the base and each of the fuse clips near the opposite end of the block having a load terminal connected to it and located near the adjacent end of the block, the central strap having a circuit terminal at each end of the block and means for detachably securing the fuse block in place and connecting the connections of the fuse block with the connec- HERMAN J. Y. 

